Manipur violence: Mob tries to vandalise BJP president's house, torches minister's office

Mobs in Manipur tried to vandalise state BJP President Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi`s residence and torched the head office of the Thongju Assembly constituency from where Power and Forest Minister Thongam Biswajit Singh was elected, police said on Saturday.

An irate mob tried to attack the home of Sharda Devi near Porampet in Imphal around midnight on Friday.

The Central Reserve Police Force opened fire in the air and managed to disperse the mob, mostly youths.

In another incident, a mob torched the head office of Thongju Assembly Constituency in Imphal West district late Friday night and the security forces along with the firefighters brought the situation under control.

Power and Forest Minister Thongam Biswajit Singh, second-in-command of the Manipur Council of Ministry after Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, was elected to the Assembly several times from the Thongju Assembly Constituency.

In separate incidents, an exchange of fire between the security forces and armed militants was reported from Kwakta in the Bishnupur district of Manipur and Kangvai in the Churachandpur district through the night.

The security forces have foiled an attempt to loot weapons from the Iringbam police station in Imphal West by the miscreants.

A mob of approximately 1,000 people tried to burn down buildings near the palace compound.

The Rapid Action Force (RAF) fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

Various groups and organisations set up roadblocked and torched properties in different places in Manipur.

Army, Assam Rifles, various other Central Armed Police Forces and Manipur RAF continued marches since late Friday evening and the area domination patrolling further intensified on Saturday.

Police said that the mob, which was demanding an early solution to the ethnic conflicts, accused all the ministers, MLAs and ruling BJP leaders that they were not doing enough to end the crisis.

The devastating ethnic violence, which so far killed over 120 people and injured more than 400, began in Manipur on May 3 after a `Tribal Solidarity March` was organised by a tribal student body in the hill districts of the state to protest against the Meitei community`s Scheduled Tribe (ST) status demand.